If you told me three years ago that I would be playing rugby in college, I would have told you, you are CRAZY.
Rugby is admittedly one of the most aggressive, violent, and competitive sports in the world, which raises the question: why did it attract me?
My first ever rugby game—the 2023 UNYCRC small college qualifier at Ithaca College—daunting turf lights were shining down on me.
I went in the second half of a sevens game. In rugby, the game is called sevens because each team consists of seven players, in contrast to fifteens, in which each team has fifteen players.
As I was standing waiting for the kickoff, my heart was beating out of my chest. I didn’t know what I had gotten myself into.
It was all worth it in the end when I felt the rush of my first tackle. I ran towards my opponent’s legs, knocking them down full force.
I could hear the voices of my new teammates screaming my name, telling me to get up. The game continued, no whistle, so I rolled around trying to find my footing and get back into play.
I blinked, and the seven minutes were over. I looked down at my legs and they were already black and blue, but I couldn’t feel a thing because of the adrenaline piercing through my veins.
It was unforgettable. A similar feeling to what I had once felt before in a different sport.
Softball
The diamond was my home, and my first love. The sport that I was committed to for over ten years.
Nothing compared to the smell of fresh cut grass during warm-ups, or the sting of my bat in the cold March games.
When I was a freshman in high school, my career was just starting. My first travel team that I played for was named the Nor’easters and based out of my hometown.
My first fall season with the team, I threw out my shoulder at a tournament in late October. It was sub 30 degrees and that is when I tore my labrum.
The injury didn’t stop me, and I proceeded to keep playing with a tear in my shoulder.
Nothing will ever compare to the memories I made on this team.
One of my favorite memories was playing in the snow at our last tournament in July. Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense.
An ice machine was spitting out “snow” and we used it to cool down before our next game.
I received MVP of the same tournament alongside my pitcher and catcher.
During my time playing for the Nor’easters, not only did I grow as a player, but I created strong bonds with my teammates that I still have to this day.
“Playing with Leah for the many years I did, I got to know how hard she worked and how much she loved the game,” said teammate Caroline DiSunno. “She was the top player on every team she was on and dominated on the field. I wish that I could be back on the softball field with Leah just one more time, but I’m so happy I got to know her as both a teammate and a friend.”
After only 11 months, the team dismantled so unfortunately, I had to move on and seek other opportunities to play softball year-round. I tried out for the Cougars Fastpitch 16u/18u team in Central Islip following the end of the season with the Nor’easters.
I was able to continue playing beside my best friend, Sophia Yardley, who was also on the Nor’easters. Traveling to practices and tournaments was not as treacherous because we had each other.
“Because we were so close off the field, we had a lot of chemistry.” said Yardley. “Throughout high school and even Cougar’s, wherever I was in the field, we were in sync with each other. Some of my best plays during my softball career were with Le.”
I played on the team for almost a year, meeting many new teammates and perfecting my skills. Then July 2020 came around.
Shoulder Injury. Again. But a month later my idiotic self-decided to return to the field.
In August 2020, I joined the Ducks Fastpitch 16u team in Commack, NY, departing from the Cougars. I made the switch because some of my former teammates from the Nor’easters were also part of the Ducks.
I tried out for the team and was the starting third baseman for almost a year until the college showcase rolled around in July 2021.
You guessed it, I injured my shoulder yet again. This time, I called it quits for travel softball.
My performance has never been the same since the Nor’easters, but it was too hard to say goodbye.
While I was maintaining a career with my travel teams, I also continued to play high school softball. I was on the Junior Varsity team freshman year as a pitcher, and I was captain and starting third base for the Varsity team my junior and senior years.
“Leah is a leader,” said current East Hampton High School varsity captain Katie Kuneth. “She always made me feel welcome as one of the younger players on the team.”
Junior year was my peak when I received MVP and All-Division. Sadly, my senior year was not as successful as I’d hoped because my injury finally caught up with me.
“You always had a smile on your face, even after making a mistake or we lose a game,” said teammate Susie DiSunno.
I was hoping to play softball in college, but I was unable to regain enough strength to continue. I even considered playing on the Cortland Club Softball team, regardless of my injury.
But I didn’t.
I was devastated to have to say goodbye to the sport that brought me so many memories and happiness, but it was time to start a new journey.
SUNY Cortland
My first semester at college, I was trying to find new hobbies, because I was lost without softball in my life.
I was never a gym rat—unlike the stereotypical Cortland student—so I pondered the idea of intramural sports.
I was always drawn to football because I watched NFL games every Sunday with my father (GO J-E-T-S). So, the first thing I thought of:
Flag Football
I created my own intramural team, and I met many new friends. I was able to continue participating in sports (despite the discomfort it brought to my shoulder), but it didn’t last long.
During my experience with flag football, I met a junior, Dania Dal Pos. She was a new member of the Cortland Women’s Rugby Club after joining in Spring 23’.
A few weeks after she joined, she convinced me to go to rugby practice.
“I thought ‘You know who would be really good at this? Leah.’ Every time we saw each other I would bring it up, and after the third time, she finally said yes,” said Dal Pos.
Rugby
Growing up in East Hampton, the Montauk Rugby team was my only interaction with the sport. Many of my family friends are alumni of the team and a few of my friends currently play on the sevens squad.
I didn’t even know that women played rugby.
“Oftentimes when asked to play rugby, people say they can’t because it’s too rough, they don’t know how, they aren’t in shape, they can’t run etc.,” said head rugby coach of the Cortland Women’s Rugby Club, Ashley Crossway. “But there’s a lot of power when someone tries and learns they are much more capable of challenging things than they ever thought.”
Once I arrived at Cortland, I soon realized that the Upstate New York Collegiate Rugby Conference (UNYCRC) existed.
UNYCRC
The conference is made up of 17 women’s teams in the small college division ranging from private, public, and ivy league schools across the state.
UNYCRC is also the largest women’s small college conference in the United States.
Two teams from the conference appeared in the National Collegiate Rugby Championship games this past December, SUNY Cortland and reigning small college champions, St. Bonaventure University.
“Winning the national championship in 2023 will forever be my favorite rugby memory,” said St. Bonaventure University captain, Kyla Nentarz. “In 2024 we declared we are making the jump to Division I and it has been a challenge. Competing at a completely different level is tough, but we have faced the adversity and placed 10th in the nation for our first DI CRC 7s run.”
She joined rugby not knowing anything about the sport like many others, however, was pleasantly surprised with the opportunities that our conference gave her.
She was named 2023 rookie of the year, 2023 UNYCRC small college qualifier MVP, and 2023 & 2024 UNYCRC All Star for the Upstate Snow Leopards Division I squad.
Where it All Started
While I was nervous to start a new sport with no one I knew, the second I stepped into Lusk Field House, I felt like I was home.
I was drawn to the comradery of the Cortland Women’s Rugby Club—also known as the Peace Frogs—which is why I pushed myself to try it out. The overall dynamic of the team was a welcoming atmosphere that I wanted to be a part of.
I was nervous that rugby would also have an impact on my shoulder injury, but surprisingly it hasn’t bothered me as much as I thought it would.
The first few moments of practice were surreal.
The captains stood at the front of two lines and suddenly, we started jogging. Two rugby balls were being thrown around like a bag of potatoes down the line.
Once I got the ball, I popped it up to the next person and by the time it got to the end of the line, someone was sprinting to the front.
During dynamic warmups, Dania introduced me to her friend Nicole Perez. She is now one of my best friends and my roommate for next year.
“I was looking for something to do on campus and the rugby team seemed the most inviting,” said Perez. “When I came to the first practice I remembered feeling so welcomed. Everyone was eager to show me the rules and make me feel included.”
Following my first few weeks on the team, I began to learn basic skills of rugby and developed friendships with veteran players.
“It honestly made me feel so good being one of the few people on the team to play before college,” said Junior captain Alexis Gomez. “I was sharing my knowledge to other teammates that were older than me and been on the team before me.”
I remember my first few weeks on the team, Alexis would be the first person I would look to regarding any questions I had about rugby. She has been playing rugby since her freshman year of high school.
“When I came to college, I was given all the opportunities and never felt left out or treated as if I didn’t have enough skills as everyone else,” said Gomez.
I was confident that I made the right decision in becoming a Peace Frog.
Little did I know I would be joining a sport that was completely new to me in the spring, and becoming a starting player in the National Championship games the following December.
Taking a chance on rugby was something that I will forever be grateful for, and it has introduced me to an amazing network of people, who I now call family.
Many others feel the same way, including Brealin Redecker from Syracuse University.
“Rugby has been one of the greatest things to happen to me,” said Redecker. “I found a family in my team with people who will be my lifelong friends.”
Following the start of Redeckers career, she was named the season MVP for Cuse’. She was also a select player on the Upstate 7s Snow Leopards All-Stars team this past January for the small college division.
“It feels like we have a little community within our conference,” said Nentarz. “A lot of teams inter-mingle so it’s unique to go to a tournament and know a lot of people.”
High Hopes for the Future
Since joining the women’s rugby team at Cortland, I have wanted to expose the club as much as possible. I decided to run for the executive board position, Public Relations, last Spring and I got it.
It was the first year Public Relations was introduced to the team. I felt passionate to pursue this role because I wanted the team to have a stronger social media presence to expose the sport to incoming students and current students at Cortland.
Being a part of the executive board has been an amazing opportunity and I have learned the ins and outs of the team. I have been elected as the President for the 2024-25 academic year and I’m eager to see what next year hold for us.
“I hope that rugby develops more–where we see more club teams in our hometowns and schools starting to develop rugby programs,” said Nentarz. “Even from just the two years I have been a rugby player, more and more people are getting to know about this sport, and more and more people are falling in love with it.”
Nentarz believes that rugby will continue to grow, and more women will be drawn to the unique culture and community the sport possesses.
“My experience with rugby has been incredible which is why I continue to stay involved,” said Crossway. “I played in college, then in a women’s league in Rochester after college and since hanging up my boots, I have transitioned into the coaching role. Rugby has given me endless opportunities, friendships, and life experiences.”
Since I have joined rugby, I have done my best to encourage more girls at my school to try it, just like I did.
“Rugby has been on the rise in the US for years, plus with the increased investment and interest in women’s sports, now is a perfect opportunity for that to continue,” said Crossway. “Also, traditional barriers of girls playing intense or rough sports are decreasing. In the sports world, we have seen this with rugby but also other sports like football and wrestling.”
Photo by Taylor DeCastro and Brian Dorn.
I hope that women’s rugby continues to grow throughout the country and that my story inspires more women to consider it. Even though you may experience hardship with sports injuries, it doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of bumps and bruises playing rugby, but it has all been worth it in the end. There will come a time when my body tells me to stop playing sports, but today is not that day.